Common Tangent Traps (And How to Avoid Them)
1. Hidden Corners
When a shape covers up the corner of something else, the shape underneath looks distorted or oddly cropped, and the sense of depth gets lost.
🖊️ Example: A tree that overlaps the corner of a roof, just barely hiding the point.
✅ Fix: Shift one shape slightly. Let the corner be either fully visible or clearly overlapped. Avoid that in-between zone where it’s just barely covered.
2. Fused Shapes
When two objects line up perfectly, they look like one strange, merged form.
🖊️ Example: A tree trunk that ends exactly where a hill begins — suddenly, the tree looks glued to the hill!
✅ Fix: Shift one shape slightly higher or lower so their edges don’t meet exactly. Overlapping helps show what’s in front and what’s behind.
3. Border Tangents
When part of your subject interacts with the edge of your paper or canvas in an unnatural way, such as barely touching the edge or being sliced exactly in half.
🖊️ Example: A tree trunk or building cut exactly at the edge — it feels like it’s glued to the border instead of existing naturally in space.
✅ Fix: Give breathing room - Leave a little space between your subject and the edge of the page; Crop with intention - If you do want to cut something off, make it look deliberate.
4. Almost Touching
When two objects nearly touch — but don’t — it can create a weird tension, like they’re about to collide.
🖊️ Example: A bird’s wing ending a millimeter away from the edge of the paper.
✅ Fix: Either bring them together intentionally or move one farther away. Don’t leave “almost touching” moments hanging in the middle.
How to Catch and Fix Tangents Early
🎨 Sketch Lightly and Plan Overlaps
Keep your first lines loose. Move shapes around until they look natural. Overlaps make drawings feel 3D — so let one thing clearly sit in front of another.
🔍 Check with Distance
Step back from your work or take a photo of it. Seeing your drawing from a new perspective makes tangents easier to spot.
🔁 Flip Your Drawing
If you’re drawing digitally, flip the canvas. On paper, look at it in a mirror. Seeing it backwards reveals hidden tangents instantly.
💡 Look for Natural Spacing
In real life, objects rarely line up perfectly. Try to mimic that. A little gap, a bit of overlap, or a small shift in position can make your drawing feel much more real.
Why It Matters
Avoiding tangents helps your artwork breathe. It gives space, clarity, and confidence to your design. Once you get in the habit of checking for them, your compositions will instantly feel stronger — and viewers will focus on your story and subject, not on tiny distractions.
Tangents are small details, but they make a big difference. Learning to spot and fix them shows you’re thinking like an artist — noticing how every edge and shape fits together.
So next time you draw, take a moment to look for those almost-touching lines and glued-together edges. Nudge them apart, let them overlap naturally, and watch your drawing transform from flat to full of depth and life.
